U.S. out of the World Cup, but Springfield soccer unaffected

Dan Naumovich Correspondent

Saturday

Jul 7, 2018 at 5:15 PMJul 7, 2018 at 5:15 PM

The United States men’s national team’s absence from the World Cup in Russia this summer has caused many to contemplate soccer’s status in our country. Although the sport continues to grow in popularity, every few steps forward seems to be followed by one going back. Here in Springfield, some long-time coaches and advocates of the world’s most popular sport see signs of both optimism, and concern.

Joe Eck, former University of Illinois Springfield head soccer coach, saw his first World Cup final in 1974. He and his friends had to travel to St. Louis to watch the game on close circuit television at Kiel Auditorium.

“Until then, I had only known about the World Cup from reading a newspaper article every four years,” Eck said. “I really had no idea of its magnitude throughout the world, and the level of play I saw on the big screen that summer truly inspired me.”

Eck has been watching the games from his living room this time around, and while he’s disappointed his home country wasn’t competing, he doesn’t feel that the national team’s absence will have a significant effect on the sport’s growth and popularity.

“There’s too much momentum and it will continually grow,” he said. “The fact is that Major League Soccer continues to expand, stadiums that resemble European stadiums are sprouting up all over the US, and teams are drawing great crowds with a great atmosphere.”

One of the knocks against soccer in America is that although millions of kids play in recreational leagues, such as the popular YMCA program here in Springfield, many abandon it for traditional American sports, or other interests, once they get to middle school or high school. That trend, however, isn’t as prevalent as it once was.

The Springfield Area Soccer Association (SASA) is a competitive youth soccer club that provides higher-level training for players interested in advancing beyond the rec league game. Over 500 kids, from age seven up through high school, currently participate in the program and travel throughout the Midwest to play in tournaments.

“SASA has benefited from a younger generation of parents who grew up playing soccer and at a very high level at Sangamon State or UIS,” said Drew Lenhardt, SASA’s director of coaching. “We’ve also seen an increase in quality in our coaching staff, which has a huge impact on the development of players.”

One of those coaches, and a former Sangamon State and UIS player, is Cuneyt Barutcu. In 1993, Barutcu came to Springfield from Turkey to play soccer for the Prairie Stars. After winning a national championship in ‘93 and placing third in ‘95, he settled down in Springfield with his wife, Lisa, and immediately got involved with youth soccer.

“When I was a kid, I played on concrete or dirt. So when I came here and saw all of these beautiful grass fields and hundreds of kids are playing Y soccer, I thought, ‘In twenty years, the U.S.A. is going to be a world power.’ Well, I misread it,” Barutcu said.

After coaching for over 20 years - his three children are all current SASA players - he still sees some fundamental differences in soccer in America, compared to the rest of the world, that is stunting the sport’s growth. As with many things, money is at the root of the problem.

In Turkey, most youth soccer clubs are sponsored by businesses or wealthy individuals, so there is no cost to the families. In America, the pay-to-play model is almost universal.

“You want inner city kids to play. And kids whose families don’t have a lot of money,” Barutcu said. “Here, soccer is a middle class sport. So you miss out on a lot of talented kids who are from different socioeconomic backgrounds.”

There is also a difference in culture surrounding the sport.

Barutcu didn’t play organized soccer until he was 13. But from a very young age, he would be out playing everyday on the street, learning the game by going up against older kids and developing those difficult to master foot skills. For many kids like him, soccer was the key to a better life in the future.

He doesn’t see that in Springfield, where kids start organized soccer sooner, but seldom touch a ball outside of games or practices. Barutcu also believes there is also a lack of understanding of the tactical side of the game, especially among parents who are too focused on how many goals their kid scores.

Barutcu agrees that having a generation of parents who have played the game has made a positive impact on their soccer-playing children. For the U.S. to bring home a World Cup, however, there still needs to be a grassroots effort to make the sport accessible, and then have it fully ingrained it in the culture.

“Soccer in Springfield is moving in the right direction. I like the mission of SASA and being dedicated to player development,” he said. “We just need to get kids to live and breath the sport like they do in other countries.”

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